In the 19th arrondissement, employees are under increased surveillance, even escorted by security agents on their daily journeys. A measure taken to reassure them in the face of drug addicts who frequent the Rosa Parks district.
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“To go to the RER station, we have a specific route that we are advised to follow. Like all the other employees of the BNP Paribas bank, Estelle and her colleague Eric (assumed first names) who travel on foot morning and evening between their company and the RER station Rosa Parks “know the places to avoid”.
Their employer has also published a geographical map of this territory on the Aubervilliers border, specifying “risk areas“, according to the terminology used by the Ministry of Justice.
Their workplace is located in the Rosa Parks district within the Millennium Business Park, just opposite the vast building occupied by the central services of the Ministry of Justice, where hundreds of agents work. They too, aware of “these risk areas”.
When leaving work to go to the station, you must first “pass quickly” in front of the entrance to the “Northern linear forest” a green strip of 11,000 square meters which runs along the ring road – today closed by a gate, but which drug users regularly cross. Then take the Claude Bernard footbridge which spans the road.
Do not linger again before the “Southern linear forest” on the other side, she too is condemned. “Avoid going through the square“, take Boulevard Mac Donald to finish your journey to the RER station, explains Eric, an employee at BNP.
“Every time, I make films, but if someone attacks me, there is a security guard, so he will be able to protect me”testifies Estelle. From 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., on the approximately 700 meters which separate the station area and the Millénaire park, security agents, posted every fifty meters, in black outfits and walkie-talkies, are ready to intervene.
“When drug addicts come to us, they intervene quite quickly (…) they just tell them: leave them alone! Move away!' They don't question them, they just make sure we get back to the station safely.“, relates Yves, employee at BNP Parisbas.
A security agent at the entrance to the Claude Bernard footbridge.
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© Jean Forneris
This particular surveillance throughout this route taken every day by these hundreds of employees has been gradually reinforced in recent years, as explained by the Ministry of Justice..
“The Ministry of Justice and the other park entities implemented in 2019 and strengthened since the end of 2023 the security of their agents on the route leading to the various public transport (security agents over significant hours, video protection) , in close and regular contact with the Paris police headquarters and in particular the police station, allowing a very regular presence of the police in the neighborhood.”
Behind the gate which closes access to the “Northern Linear Forest”.
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© Jean Forneris
BNP Paribas went further by organizing an escort service, “to take at the same time all the necessary measures to strengthen the safety of its employees”, she explains. Around 5:30 p.m., for example, security agents come to pick up employees from their company to assist them during their journey. Estelle has not yet wanted, she says, to benefit from “this shuttle”.
“It sucks early in the morning and late at night during the winter. When it's in the evening for example, I usually go with someone but then I sometimes go alone. I'm not the most vigilant of people. But on the other hand, I check that there are always security agents on the course.” she specifies.
This reinforced surveillance is insufficient for this other employee who works as a service agent very early in the morning on the premises of the banking establishment“There is no security at 6 a.m. While there are service people, cleaning ladies, kitchen staff crossing this footbridge. If there were at least two agents security in the morning, that would be good”, he regrets.
At the bottom of the walkway, leaning against the gate which closes the “Northern linear forest”, a bicycle is placed there. It makes climbing the fence easier. In front of an impassive security guard, men and women regularly enter this green space out of sight for their drug use.
A bicycle serves as a support point to climb the gate which closes access to the “Northern Linear Forest” frequented by drug addicts.
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© Jean Forneris
“They are not bad in themselves. I have come across people who ask for cigarettes like anyone in need, they are not more aggressive than that. Apart from one or two… But we will be transparent, it There is always an individual who can become a little more aggressive than the others. testifies Philippe, employee at BNP.
Laurence lives and works in the neighborhood. She regularly crosses the footbridge to go to the shopping center located in Millennium Park. This resident deplores the “anxious climate” which reigns in the sector. “They're a bit like zombies, but then there's the drug problem. They're often dirty, but they have no access to care or hygiene. Sometimes, they're almost naked. It hurts more than anything else.“, she relates, disappointed.
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